Several incremental improvements have been made to FSFlyingSchool 2009, including adjustments to the ease or difficulty of satisfying your instructor.The major new features of FSFlyingSchool 2009 are as follows:
Evaluates landing with or without ILS at any runway in the world
You can perform an ILS approach or a visual approach to any runway, with the instructor watching and helping you through the entire process.
Automatically creates FSFlyingSchool profile for any powered airplane
Any plane you choose to fly will be automatically detected by FSFlyingSchool and a profile for it will be created.
Pilot Briefing Tool analyzes all flights to find patterns of performance which need improvement
This unique tool will look at all flights made with FSFlyingSchool and find areas which need improvement and advise you of those which you are perfecting.
Option to monitor correct use of aircraft lights
Your instructor will now, if you wish, add a whole new dimension to your flying by expecting you to use your aircraft lights correctly.
Instructors now give additional warnings before mistakes are made
We can all use a little help and your instructor now will caution you when you are about to slip-up.
Instructors have many new helpful and entertaining phrases
Your instructors want you to enjoy the experience and help out with tips and the odd unexpected observation.
Aircraft Failures integrated into scoring
FSFlyingSchool pilots are no strangers to aircraft failures, but they now score extra points if the pilot retains control.
Option to monitor correct use of aircraft engines
Let’s get even more serious about our behaviour in the air.
Engine fires
These are pretty serious and can lead to exciting times.
Monitors use of emergency communications
There is a right time and a wrong time for this sort of thing.
Enhanced Help
Already packed with acclaimed help, the program is now even easier to use. Your instructor will also give you tips on what to do.
Some overall points...
FSFlyingSchool Classic required the pilot to land at a runway with ILS or a runway for which a corresponding "Non-ILS" runway data file had been created by the makers of FSFlyingSchool or by the pilot. Some users have had difficuty creating files for their favorite airports and FSFS2009 therefore introduces the ability to land without ILS at any runway in the world and still get a full FSFlyingSchool evaluation. So now you can land anywhere you like, with or without ILS; your instructor will be watching you.
Previous versions of FSFlyingSchool ended the flight if the pilot chose to fly an airplane for which FSFlyingSchool did not already have an aircraft profile, either created by the makers of FSFlyingSchool or by the pilot.
FSFlyingSchool 2009 automatically creates a profile for any unknown airplane the pilot flies for the first time. This saves the pilot from having to create a profile and makes it much easier to get up and flying with any airplane desired. The profile created is as accurate as possible given the available data, but the user can customize it in minutes at the FSFlyingSchool Aircraft Page.
FSFlyingSchool Classic was staffed by instructors who, in general, commented on the pilot's performance only when the pilot had already made a mistake and this created a very challenging environment for the novice. FSFlyingSchool 2009 makes things a little easier on the newcomer by, in most cases, warming the pilot just before a potential mistake is made. The pilot will still need to react promptly to the advice given, but will get a chance to correct errors before they are made and, importantly, before they affect the pilot's score.
The Aircraft Page now has an option for the FSFS2009 instructor to monitor the pilot's use of aircraft lights.
The pilot must take into consideration the time of day, what stage of flight they are in (taxi, takeoff, cruise, landing) and also if the airplane being flown is governed by general aviation rules or by commercial carrier procedures.
If you would prefer that the instructor not monitor your use of lights, this option can be turned off at the Aircraft Page.
As if things weren't busy enough, FSFS2009 now gives FSX pilots the added burden of potential engine fires. These are just another part of FSFlyingSchool's extensive enhancements to the aircraft failures system and very much keep pilots on their toes. Some FSX aircraft have the ability to extinguish engines fires, others do not.
If you choose, your instructor will watch how the pilot controls the fuel mixture on piston engines and will offer complements when this is done well.
FSFS2009 now awards extra points to pilots who, despite all manner of aircraft system failures, have retained control of their airplane and brought it safely down. Bonus points are given based on the seriousness of the failure and the proportion of the flight affected by it. The degree to which it impeeds safe flight is also considered, so that, for example, more points are awarded for the loss of the attitude indicator in low visibility than otherwise.